2015 Lightning Lap: LL2 Class Spotlight

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Every year, we take the hottest performance cars to Virginia International Raceway for our Lightning Lap competition, where our editors turn lap after lap on the 4.1-mile Grand West Course in pursuit of each model's single quickest time. The contenders are grouped into classes based on price; here, take a tour of this year's LL2 class, which includes cars with prices between $35,000 and $64,999.

By Car

2015 Volkswagen Golf R

Part hot-hatch overlord, part luxury-car pretender, the Volkswagen Golf R is both a GTI on ’roids and an Audi S3 after a coupon. Based on VW’s MQB architecture, all three cars lap a track with similar competence and mien. The chassis is defined by ample, safe understeer, but the Golf R acquits itself with tacky grip, fade-resistant brakes, and light and talkative steering.

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2015 Volkswagen Golf R

Volkswagen repurposes the S3’s 292-hp engine, dual-clutch transmission, and four-wheel-drive hardware in two-box form with a discount of $3585, which grows by $2495 if you forgo the adaptive dampers. The differences in driving behavior between the Golf R and the S3, however, are more nuanced than this parts sharing might suggest. While the Golf R holds a 30-pound weight advantage on the S3, it carries more of its mass on the front tires. That might explain why, from the driver’s seat, the VW feels more prone to push in corners. The GPS traces reveal that in a lap around VIR, the Golf R cedes most of its one-second deficit to the S3 in small increments through the tightest and longest turns—Horse Shoe, Oak Tree, and Bitch. READ MORE ››

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2015 Audi S3

What if we tell you that the Audi S3’s lap renders the 2007 RS4 obsolete? Consider: The 292-hp S3 is but 0.1 second behind the 420-hp RS4 on VIR’s 4.1-mile gantlet, and this despite going 6.9 mph slower down the front straight. Clearly the S3 has higher cornering speeds. If today’s lowliest Audi S-car can match the hottest Audi sedan from 2007, a car that made our resident Porschephile, Tony Quiroga, quip, “This is a car that makes me not want a 911,” then we are definitely in the realm of greatness.

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2015 Audi S3

Most of the S3’s one-second advantage over its platform-mate, the Golf R, is gained under braking. The four-wheel-drive S3 rotates with greater ease than its transverse engine and economy-car underpinnings suggest it might. It also outpaced the Golf R with better grip in some of VIR’s longer bends. As far as we can tell, the only difference between the S3 and the Golf R is tires, and the Audi-spec Con­tinental ContiSportContact 5Ps may be slightly better suited to VIR than the VW’s Bridgestone Potenza RE050As. READ MORE ››

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C

Few recent new cars have created as much excitement as the 4C, and rightfully so. It is a genuine carbon-fiber Italian exotic, a mid-engined mini-Ferrari with a spartan in­teri­or and a roughness around the edges. And it doesn’t cost more than your house.

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C

The lack of mechanical aids—it has unassisted steering and barely boosted brakes—translates into a rewarding track car. Get a corner wrong and your inner Enzo (like your id, only with better hair) wills you to do it smoother and quicker. READ MORE ››

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2015 Ford Mustang GT

From the numbers, and if you don’t count the new independent rear suspension, the reborn Mustang GT doesn’t appear to be much different than its predecessor. Twenty-three horsepower separates the two, and while both ride on 19-inch Pirelli P Zero tires, the new Stang has a 255/275 stagger to the old car’s square 255 fitment. Despite the new car’s 196-pound weight gain, the two Mustangs are separated by just 1.1 mph on the front straight. So, where did the new car lop off 3.4 seconds?

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2015 Ford Mustang GT

The short answer is everywhere. Pick a corner, any corner. Fractions of time came from every sector. It’s all due to the Mustang’s stable chassis and the confidence it imparts. And that’s true whether you choose the V-8 or the turbocharged four. READ MORE ››

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2016 Cadillac ATS-V sedan

There are moments on the track when you’d swear that GM just went out and hired half the Le Mans grid for its development team. Really, the ATS-V sedan’s chassis is that good. After rumbling out of the pits, you’ve got at least three solid laps of peak performance to extract your time. That may not sound like very many, but we’ve seen cars of much higher pedigree go soft after a lap or two. The Cadillac’s tires and brakes—especially the brakes, those wonderful, unbreakable brakes—soak up the abuse with a shrug and keep going.

By Car

Photos By Marc Urbano

2016 Cadillac ATS-V sedan

Entering the two spots on this circuit that often provoke peak frustration—the tight turns after the long straights—the ATS-V does its business with such expert confidence that you’re encouraged to push harder. Getting the car turned here is no problem, and there’s no bawling fuss from the hardworking Michelins as you apply inputs through the fast steering. Lift the throttle if you must; the chassis tucks nicely in response to adjust your line. Your lips flash a smile. READ MORE ››